At least Murphy took a few minutes off from signing new gun bills.
http://nj.gov/governor/news/news/56...shtml?utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery
http://nj.gov/governor/news/news/56...shtml?utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery
Our New State Reptile
- Thread starter RednekF350
- Start date
Good news!
Our students wrote in and they proposed a bill designating the Pine Barrens Tree Frog as the state amphibian. I wonder what happened to it?
http://www.njleg.state.nj.us/2018/Bills/S2500/2287_I1.HTM
Our students wrote in and they proposed a bill designating the Pine Barrens Tree Frog as the state amphibian. I wonder what happened to it?
http://www.njleg.state.nj.us/2018/Bills/S2500/2287_I1.HTM
Personally I think they should have picked a reptile whose range encompassed the whole state but then again that would have ruled out many species that are endemic to the Barrens and probably would have been a species common in nearby states so maybe a barrens reptile isn't bad but it kind of spits in North Jerseys eye. Kinda like picking Copperhead when there are none to be found down here.
If this turtle is in the pine barrens, it's news to me. Maybe I'm reading you wrong?
Yes it is in the barrens https://www.fws.gov/northeast/njfieldoffice/endangered/bogturtle.html I have never found one but their very small,have an orange spot at the ear and like to hide in clumps of grass.Also in the barrens is the wood turtle but it is only in the northern barrens apparently.I have never seen one of those either.
actually Bob I didn't realize it was in North jersey.I thought it was only native to South Jersey. I thought they were still in Cumberland County but that appears to be uncertain
That's what I thought as well Bob. My understanding from talking with field herpers and herpetologists over the years was that the populations of them were mostly in the NW and SW of NJ outside of the core barrens, but the map below does reflect some occurrences in the Pine Barrens.
Yeah, I saw that line as well (the ocean-burlington county line). All that purple shading to the left is farm country, and to the right is pinelands likely affected by agriculture and other disturbances. Yes, could be some there, but I was really thinking of the heart of the pines when I posted to Al.
I do all of the NJDEP Freshwater Wetlands permitting for our development projects here at work. When preparing each of those applications, I have to review the list of municipalities (list provided by NJDEP) that include known occurrences of bog turtle or suitable habitat within a watershed containing bog turtle. The same goes for swamp pink but it is only known occurrences on the list, not occurrences and habitat.
If I am working within any of those listed municipalities I have to issue a simple statement that our project will not negatively impact bog turtle or swamp pink.
I am attaching the lists for your viewing enjoyment. I think you would you be hard pressed to find bog turtle in many of the listed municipalities, especially in western Camden County.
If I am working within any of those listed municipalities I have to issue a simple statement that our project will not negatively impact bog turtle or swamp pink.
I am attaching the lists for your viewing enjoyment. I think you would you be hard pressed to find bog turtle in many of the listed municipalities, especially in western Camden County.
Thanks Scott. Yes, some of these seem very doubtful. And I'm very surprised they did not include the Latin names.
What about this statement:
"The table below lists the municipalities in which bog turtles are known to occur (or in which there is suitable bog turtle habitat within a drainage area with active bog turtle sites) in New Jersey as of October 6, 2008."
That part in parenthesis is odd. Aren't they essentially saying the same thing as the first part of the sentence? I think this is what they might have really meant:
The table below lists the municipalities in which bog turtles are known to occur (or in which there is suitable bog turtle habitat within a drainage area adjacent to another township which does have active bog turtle sites in the same drainage area) in New Jersey as of October 6, 2008.
What about this statement:
"The table below lists the municipalities in which bog turtles are known to occur (or in which there is suitable bog turtle habitat within a drainage area with active bog turtle sites) in New Jersey as of October 6, 2008."
That part in parenthesis is odd. Aren't they essentially saying the same thing as the first part of the sentence? I think this is what they might have really meant:
The table below lists the municipalities in which bog turtles are known to occur (or in which there is suitable bog turtle habitat within a drainage area adjacent to another township which does have active bog turtle sites in the same drainage area) in New Jersey as of October 6, 2008.
The documented occurrence or the suitable habitat is the key to the bog turtle list. With swamp pink it is the occurrence only that was used to generate the list.
The "suitable habitat" phrase appears in several NJDEP rules. It becomes a deal killer for developers in many cases. I had a guy in Egg Harbor Township who stubbornly fought the suitable habitat issue and lost. He probably spent close to $100,000 fighting it for a small tractor trailer storage yard. He was only allowed to build about 1/3 of what he wanted. He eventually bailed out of NJ and moved to CA.
The "suitable habitat" phrase appears in several NJDEP rules. It becomes a deal killer for developers in many cases. I had a guy in Egg Harbor Township who stubbornly fought the suitable habitat issue and lost. He probably spent close to $100,000 fighting it for a small tractor trailer storage yard. He was only allowed to build about 1/3 of what he wanted. He eventually bailed out of NJ and moved to CA.
They are in Cumberland county, or at least they were 10 years ago when I picked one off the road in front of my house. I looked it up to identify it, but didn't know enough to report it. Put it back in the wet scrub area behind the farm field across the road. West park drive near Rt 49 intersection in Hopewell Twp.